520 Cens
by alleycat174
Summary: He made a promise. Though he may not be an alchemist anymore, Edward Elric still never goes back on his word. Democracy comes in baby steps, and so new Fuhrer Roy Mustang is going to need all the help he can get. Royai and EdWin
1. The Office of the Fuhrer

**Sooo... Hey!**

**This story's set five years after the promised day at the end of Brotherhood. I felt that the ending needed more "Mustang being kick-ass as Fuhrer" and I wanted to bring back in the Elrics because, although I want them to have a happy, peaceful life, I can't imagine them living out their days in Risembool while Mustang's out kicking ass. This is more like a prologue than chapter one, cause the rest of the chapters will be longer. Kay. Cool. Glad I explained that. **

**Also, the title comes from episode 31 (The 520 Cens Promise) in which Ed owes Roy Mustang money (520 Cens) and promises to pay him back when he's Fuhrer. I always wondered how that would work out once Ed gets out of the army cause he's not an alchemist anymore. I suppose Roy could let him off the hook but… Let's face it. He's not THAT nice.**

**Hehe. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Office of the Fuhrer<strong>

"Well, I do like this brown for the bridesmaid dresses, although I think a brighter color would be better. Still, the brighter we go the harder it would be to match. And I still have to call the florist to see the array of flowers I want. Kami, there's so much to do."

Winry Rockbell was seated at the dining room table, papers and color pallets spread before her and a look of extreme concentration on her face. Her long blonde hair was left fanned over her shoulders instead of in its usual ponytail and she absentmindedly pulled it over one shoulder, leaning forward to study a certain color pallet with a high degree of intensity.

"Ed, what do you think? White or cream for the table clothes?"

The former state alchemist was sitting back, hands interlocked behind his head to form a headrest, and looking like he would rather be beaten over the head with a wrench than sit through this. He sighed, eyes looking toward the ceiling. "Winry, have you ever considered the fact that all of this is extremely nitpicky?"

Winry's face got dangerously dark. "Well, Edward Elric, you would be surprised at details that go into planning a wedding. But, seeing as you don't seem to be contributing, I have to take this all on by myself."

"Still, you love it," Ed responded in the same tone, leaning back in his chair a bit. "It's like figuring out how to fit a new automail limb together. You know, making all the pieces fit together."

Winry cautiously took that as a complement until Ed muttered under his breath. "What a gearhead…"

"Well, Ed, I'm the gearhead you're going to marry, so you better GODDAMN GET USED TO IT!"

"My, my, Winry, you must have picked up some of that language from Edward," a third voice put in as a small, gray-haired woman joined the ground, walking into the room slowly.

The blonde mechanic looked a tiny bit ashamed. "Yeah, sorry, Granny."

Grandma Pinako sighed, carefully taking a seat. "Talk to me, Winry. I'll help."

The look on Winry's face was apprehensive as she exchanged a worried look with Ed, remembering the doctor's warnings about their grandmother's health. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Granny? I mean, I don't mind. Like Ed said, I like figuring this stuff out."

"Relax," Pinako replied, smiling. "This old lady's got enough in her to help her granddaughter plan her wedding. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Winry smiled in return, something catching at her heart. She didn't know what she would do if her grandmother wasn't around. "Well," she started, turning her attention back to the table of papers, "The choices of flowers range from…"

Ed found his attention wavering as he looked out the window, eyes taking in the beautiful day outside. Maybe a good day to take Winry on a picnic later; that is, if she left her wrenches at home. And maybe later he could convince her for just one second to forget about all the wedding planning and get a good night's sleep for once. She was so obsessed with this.

The wedding was scheduled for next month, but apparently there was a plethora of things that needed to be done about that fact. It was going to be right here in Risembool, where they spent their childhood growing up, and, in Ed's mind, that already made it perfect. Who cared about the table cloth color? But, Winry felt a bit differently and perhaps that was for the best. Someone needed to plan this anyway.

A string of thoughts ran through his head as he wondered when Al was going to get back. He hadn't seen him in three months, although they kept a steady exchange of letters back and forth. Al loved Xing and was on his third trip there in three years. Although they both had grown independent of each other and matured, Ed still felt like a part of him was missing when his brother wasn't with him. The miracle of seeing Al's happy face every time he came home still had Ed in awe. They had done it, they had finally accomplished their goal, and they could finally live out their lives in happiness.

Just then, the phone rang.

Winry quickly got up and answered it. _Probably 'cause she figures it's the florist or the dress-person or whatever, _Ed thought to himself in boredom, losing interest in the matter. No one exciting ever called.

But seconds later, a finger tapped his shoulder as Winry handed him the phone.

"It's the Office of the Furher."

* * *

><p>"Message for Alphonse Elric."<p>

The guards moved to the side as the messenger was allowed inside the main patio of the palace of Xing. Sitting in the middle of the patio, enjoying a gourmet lunch, was a tall blonde-haired boy, a girl with a panda (an animal which was often mistaken for a black and white cat by foreigners), a dark-haired girl with an automail arm, and the Emperor of Xing himself. While the messenger didn't wish to interrupt their merry get-together, he did have a very important message to deliver.

"Lin, you sure do know how to provide a good meal," the blonde-haired boy laughed. "And to think that a few years ago, I would even have been able to try Xing cuisine."

The dark-haired girl with the panda squeezed the tall boy's arm, grinning broadly, while the Emperor responded with a mild smile. "Well, I think I probably owe you and Ed a lot more than that after all the times I ate your room service."

The girl next to the Emperor nudged him, nodding toward the messenger. "Ah, thank you, Lan Fan," he answered, noticing the man who had just entered. "Yes?"

"I have an important message for Alphonse Elric."

The blonde-haired boy looked up, face curious. "Yes? That's me."

When the boy turned over the letter, the seal made his jaw drop. The seal of the Office of the Fuhrer.

* * *

><p>It was the end of the day and the sun slanted through the shades just so, splashing its light on the lonely desk of the room. Sitting in the chair behind it sat a pensive Roy Mustang, his eyebrows drawn down thoughtfully. The door opened and he looked up, smiling slightly as he did.<p>

"Captain Hawkeye," his voice lingered on her name, but only as much as it always did. "Please, please, tell me there's no national emergences that need my immediately attention."

"No, sir," the blonde-haired sniper smiled, closing the door behind her. "I let Havoc, Breda, and Falman go home. First Sergeant Fuery's the only one left- mostly because he can't stop tinkering with those toys of his."

"Hm," Roy commented, swiveling his chair toward the window behind him. "Does that mean we're almost done?"

"Not quite yet."

Roy shrugged, looking apathetic. "Eh. Can't blame me for trying."

"Just these and then we're done," Riza Hawkeye set a few more documents on his desk, lining them up so he knew exactly where to sign. "If I may ask, sir, how did you get Grumman to give up his position?"

The flame alchemist raised an eyebrow, looking quite satisfied with himself. "It wasn't easy. Still, this Drachman thing has been giving him a headache and his family's been begging him to back down. But, we're right on track, Captain."

The final goal. Democracy. Five years was enough for the country to get ready.

"He even let me use the official seal on my mail today," Mustang grinned, acting sporadically like a child, as Riza Hawkeye had gotten used to. "C'mon, you gotta admit, that's cool."

Riza had long since learned how to suppress her eye-roll, although she couldn't hide a smile. "Very cool, sir," the sniper answered, her face amused. "But remember, you're still only Fuhrer-to-be. And even that won't be released in the papers until tomorrow."

"Water under the bridge, Captain," Roy replied, eyes going back down to focus on his papers.

A few minutes were spent in silence as only the scratch of the pen echoed throughout the room and Captain Riza Hawkeye kept a carefully trained eye on her superior. He liked to get distracted, but it was her job to keep him focused. Luckily, she hadn't had to pull her gun in at least a week.

"Any response from the Elric brothers?" Mustang asked as he signed with a practiced hand. "Fullmetal seemed hesitant enough on the phone."

Riza looked down, blonde bangs falling over her eyes. "Sir, you know they'll come. If you ask, they'll come."

The sunlight was fading as the sun sunk farther down in the sky. Roy nodded. "I know."

"I have to ask you this again, sir, but, are you sure you want to get them involved? Pull them into the mess they've already extracted themselves from?"

Roy reflected on that statement, wondered if perhaps he would regret bringing the Elrics in again. They had gone through so much already. But, he reinforced, there was too much at stake to let their abilities go to waste. Now that he was going to be in power, he was calling in all of them, stocking his administration with all the powerhouses he could get. The pieces of the chessboard are coming back together, but a new enemy sits on the other side of the table, one that wasn't even concrete yet.

Roy Mustang crossed his last "t" as he rose, grabbing his coat. "I already made my decision. Besides, I still need my 520 cens."

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

**1) I like the word pensive. Just thought I should share that. It's a good descibing word.**

**2) I also love when Roy acts like a kid. Like in that one episode when he helps confuse the military away from where Ed and Al are fighting Scar and he goes overboard with his acting on the radio transmitter. Lol... Riza just rolled her eyes.**

**3) Let me know if you see any issues with anything cause I'd want to fix it right away. I guess that kind of a given but... With some of the military stuff (rank and such) I'm not sure how accurate I may be. **

**4) Okay, good times.**

**5) Don't forget to review! :D **


	2. The Old Gang

Nothing really to say here… Besides the disclaimer! *evil laugh* I hate disclaimers… I always forget them.

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. Duh.

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><p><strong>The Old Gang<strong>

"The Colonel just likes to take all goddamn day, doesn't he?"

None of Mustang's men decided to correct Ed on his wrong title. Besides, to Ed, he'd pretty much always be the Colonel. Havoc grinned at his statement, looking up from his desk. "Eh, we all think it's the company. He rarely comes out of there, especially when it's just him and Captain Hawkeye."

"Yeah, and he even walks her home sometimes," Falman added, not looking up from his deskwork.

"But only when she lets him," Breda stated, taking a bite out of a hot dog that he then laid on the desk beside him. "But she's completely focused on him. Which is good cause they I can eat while doing paperwork."

"And I can take things apart for fun and leave my machine pieces EVERYWHERE," Feury explained, thus demonstrating. "Which helps because then I can find everything when I need it."

Ed wasn't quite sure how that logic worked, but he wasn't asking.

"We can break her rules now," Havoc summed up, lighting himself a cigarette and looking fairly pleased with himself.

The door to Roy Mustang's office opened and the occupants (excluding Ed) went from cocky and self-satisfied to peeing-their-pants scared. Ed looked on with a certain amount of twisted enjoyment.

"Major Havoc, you're not lighting up in MY office, are you?"

Havoc's hand trembled. "N-no, Captain, I was just about to-"

Riza's hand was hovering around the area of her gun and God forbid she put a hand on the holster because then they were all dead. "Major, get rid of the cigarette or smoke outside. Captain Breda, if you don't finish that hot dog in the next ten seconds, you'll find yourself feeling very unpleasant."

The next ten seconds consisted of the built Captain stuffing his face full of food.

"And First Sergeant Fuery," she turned her eyes to the smallest member of the group, who promptly shrank back. "I know I've already told you multiple times to clean up your messes. Do so or you'll find yourself cleaning the entire office with a toothbrush."

"Warrant Officer Falman," she barked, turning her eyes on the cringing office, who had stayed silent until now. Then, noticing he wasn't doing anything wrong, she nodded. "Good job. Keep up the good work."

He let out a sigh of relief.

Hawkeye's face turned from deadly serious to a smile in a matter of seconds as she turned to Ed. "The Fuhrer-to-be will see you now, Ed."

"'Kay," Ed shrugged, looking vaguely bored after that entertainment. However, he walked into Mustang's office cheerfully and without a moment's hesitation. Anyone other onlooker would think that he was almost eager to get to work.

"Hello, bastard," the former alchemist greeted cheerfully as Roy calmly acknowledged him from behind his desk. "How's life? Burned anyone to a crisp recently?"

Roy surveyed him calmly, eyes dark. "No, but it's never too late. I see you haven't changed a bit, Elric. Still a bit short… on manners."

"HEY, I'VE GROWN A LOT!" Ed answered, eyes red with anger. "TAKE IT BACK, YOU OLD COOT!"

The older Elric brother couldn't miss the slight twitch of Roy Mustang's right eye and he immediately found a whole new world opening up to him. A whole new wondrous world of endless possibilities as well as endless pain inflicted on one Roy Mustang.

Ed walked behind Mustang's desk, staring at the Fuhrer-to-be's head. Roy turned uncomfortably, eying the younger man. "Elric. What are you doing?"

Ed smiled smugly. "Oh, sorry, I just thought I saw some gray hairs."

"I DO NOT HAVE GRAY HAIR!"

The former alchemist raised an eyebrow at Mustang's outburst. However, Roy Mustang quickly composed himself, sitting back down in his chair. "I mean- just, let's talk about why you're here now."

Ed crossed his arms, walking back to the opposite side of Roy's desk to plop down in a chair. Mustang took that as a sign to start the conversation, as he cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

That was when he noticed that Elric had his hand raised.

Roy was not amused. "What, Fullmetal?"

"I was just wondering how the arthritis was this morning. Don't let it keep you down, there's plenty of ways to alleviate it."

"ELRIC!"

Captain Hawkeye peered in the room, curious as to what all the noise was about. She then saw Roy and Ed exchanging punches like they were in a boxing ring before they fell to the floor, grappling like a pair of feral cats.

"Like an old man like you could beat me, Mustang!"

"You pipsqueak!"

Ever since he'd turned 30 a few years ago, Roy Mustang had violently reacted to anyone who dared to call him old. Apparently, Ed had found this little tidbit of information and used it against him. It was complete role reversal. Riza shrugged, closing the door, as she went back to watching Havoc, Breda, and Fuery like a hawk. No way was she getting involved in that.

* * *

><p>An hour later, they had finally worn each other out and were sitting down again, Mustang behind his desk and Ed in the chair opposite it. Roy was sporting a black eye while Ed was intermittently spitting blood into a bowl beside him. Riza Hawkeye was also in the room to mediate, as both parties realized that they had to do something productive eventually and another fight would not be helpful.<p>

"So," the braided boy asked, spitting into the bowl, "what am I here for?"

Roy eyed him apprehensively. "That's disgusting."

Ed glared back. "Well, you're the one that punched me in the face."

"Still," the flame alchemist responded, disgust still on his face. "I don't want you bleeding all over my carpet."

"Too late," Ed sneered.

"Boys," Riza cautioned, using her mediator position. The tone of her voice was enough to make Roy shut his mouth and Ed just look off to the side in slight shame.

"Fine," Roy crossed his arms, locking gazes with the truculent boy-turned-man. "You're here because I'm about to be Fuhrer and I need all the support I can get."

"Democracy comes in little steps," Hawkeye added, looking thoughtful. "It's not going to be easy. Amestris regards you as a hero. Just having you on our side helps."

Ed stuck his nose in the air, sniffing. "And what exactly would you have me doing? I'm no paper-pusher, ya know?"

But at the same time, Winry would kill him herself if he was getting into any major fighting. Still, he owed the Colonel (Fuhrer now, but he could never remember). Whatever he needed, he would do. And then he'd be back home with Winry, getting married.

Somehow, he doubted it would be that easy. He was back in, whether he wanted it or not, but a strange part of him was glad. He loved Winry, but he also knew he couldn't live peacefully in Risembool for the rest of his life. Not without going stir-crazy.

"Well, I'll need you to stay here until inauguration next week," Mustang explained, leaning forward on his desk. "And then I understand that you visited the west quite extensively three years ago. You seem to be familiar with it."

"Yeah," Ed answered warily. "Why do you ask?"

Roy exchanged a glance with Riza before continuing. "Drachma is giving us difficulties. More than we've ever had before because they know we're still rebuilding. I need to make peace with Creta, maybe even an alliance. I need a Western ambassador."

Ed looked thoughtful for a moment, considering the idea. At some level, it interested him. He was never the most tactful person, but the idea was one that he could work with. Traveling had always been his strong suit and he had loved the west when he was out there. Never mind the fact that he and the leader of Creta had had a bit of a misunderstanding last time… And Winry was going to remove his head because they'd have to reschedule the wedding. Still, he couldn't let his debt go unpaid and if there was a way to do it, this was it. He looked to Mustang, eyes calculating. He couldn't exactly go along with this easily though or else he'd lose face.

"Fine," he answered, smirking, "that works for me. Besides, being an old man and all, I doubt you get around much."

Both eyes twitched. "Get out of here, Elric. Come back tomorrow morning ready to work."

Smiling smugly, the former Fullmetal Alchemist left.

Roy grumbled incoherently, shuffling through his papers. "He's turned into a smarmy little bastard."

Riza Hawkeye smiled. "And where do you think he got that from?"

Roy Mustang looked truly, utterly surprised as he shot a suspicious look at his subordinate. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing, sir."

The flame alchemist was suddenly disturbed with images of Ed looking up to him. Kami, it's not like he was ever the equivalent of a father to this kid or anything. He'd always thought that he'd make a terrible parent.

"Let's just… Get back to work."

* * *

><p>"So, uh, hi. Winry."<p>

"Ed? Is that you? Jeez, I'm surprised you remembered to call at all."

"Uh, yeah. Well, I did."

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing really."

A pause. "Well, is there a reason you called me? Cause you never call without a reason."

"Well, we may have to, uh, move the wedding is all…"

"What? I didn't catch that last part. Speak up, Edward."

"So… You know how we're gonna have that wedding thing?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it may have to be moved."

There was silence on the other end. Then a sigh. "I kinda already did."

Ed leaned against the wall, eyebrows drawn down in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Ed, I knew what was going to happen as soon as we got the call from Fuhrer Mustang. I know we agreed that you'd go to Central, see what he had to say, and then make a decision, but I knew you were going to get involved with all this again. As soon as you left, I made some adjustments."

"Winry-"

So he wasn't going to be castrated with a wrench. Somehow, this didn't make him feel any better, mostly because he could hear her watery smile on the other end. "It's okay, Ed. Just come home safely."

"I'm gonna come back soon, Winry. I'm gonna come back for good and I'm going to stay and we're gonna get married and raise little Elric-Rockbells and I'll never leave again," he gulped, wondering why the hell he was saying all this. "I promise."

Ed's face turned bright red at that outburst, although he meant every word of it. Kami, he was so bad at this girl stuff.

"Thanks, Ed," Winry finally said, sniffling into the phone. He hated when he made her cry. Her next comment was almost teasing though and he knew she was getting better at fighting it off. "I'd say call again soon, but I don't want to set any high expectations."

"Tomorrow," he answered seriously. "I'll call tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Ed."

"Bye, Winry."

He hung up the phone, still feeling bad about everything that was happening now, but knowing Winry could handle it when-

As he was crushed to the bare chest of Colonel Alex Louise Armstrong, he reflected that he should have made that call somewhere private instead of at a pay phone in the lobby of Central Command.

"Oh, Edward Elric, what a beautiful relationship you have with Ms. Winry! I was passing by and heard it all. It's enough to make a grown man bawl tears of joy!"

"Colonel Armstong, let go- just get off- GRAWG!"

"NEVER! Be comforted by the strength of my embrace and-"

Behind the overly enthusiastic Colonel, there was a light laugh and a voice that followed. "Colonel, you probably should let him go."

Ed's life was saved by the woman trailing the giant Armstrong. Well, the Colonel didn't let go, but he was distracted enough for Ed to wiggle free and check his ribs for signs of cracking. The short-haired woman behind shook the former alchemist's hand, smiling. "Hey, Edward. Long time no see."

"Lieutenant Ross," Ed grinned, recovered. "Great to see you. I thought you and Colonel Armstrong were still stationed out east. What are you guys doing here?"

"Fuhrer Mustang sent for us," Maria Ross answered.

"I look forward to serving such a remarkable man," Colonel Armstrong remarked gruffly. "Although I have no idea why we were called here."

_I have an idea_, Ed thought, a bit calculating. _He's calling in his debts. Amassing his army. Amestris isn't out of the woods yet._ Somehow, the thought made him sick, but he'd much rather be here at the front lines actually _doing _something than sitting back and watching.

Ed shrugged, not wanting to talk about all this right now. "I'm not sure. I guess it's something kinda important though."

"Yeah," Lieutenant Ross answered, for lack of better words.

"Anyway," he turned to walk away, waving behind him, "I gotta go. I'll see you guys later though."

Maria Ross grinned. "That kid's always on the go."

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><p>The rest of the ex-alchemist's day consisted of his routine whenever he paid a visit to Central (which hadn't been very frequent the last few years). He visited General Hughes' grave and paid Gracia and Elicia a visit, just to remind himself of exactly who it was that he was fighting for. He exchanged pleasantries with a few of the other people he had grown to like in Central and even visited Fuhrer Bradley's wife and Selim, which was an experience all to itself. Ed still flinched when he saw the boy, reminded of the cruel and arrogant look that had formerly occupied his face as Pride. Still, he had been the one to save him and it was only necessary that he check up on him every once in a while. Mothing seeimed out of place though, as the boy had mainly been playing farther away while Ed and Mrs. Bradley exchanged small talk.<p>

When Ed had finally gotten to his hotel, he collapsed on his bed, laying his head on the comfortable covers. Throughout the day, there had been so many thoughts running through his head that he hadn't been able to think about until now.

What was the Colonel's strategy?

He knew that he had to think of it like Mustang would think of it, and so he pictured a chess board. The bastard was a master at chess, right? Or so he'd heard. So he imagined the people as the pieces (ridiculous, wasn't it, but just the kind of thing the Colonel would do).

This was a new game with new pieces. The pieces he knew of so far? Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, Fallman, Fuery, Armstrong, Ross, and him. Pieces he could speculate on? Olivier Mira Armstrong (if Mustang could ever get her to listen to him), Dr. Knox, Dr. Marcoh, perhaps the aid of Xing at some point (but that was more of a back-up strategy than anything)… Oh yes, and, most likely, his brother.

At the thought of Al, Ed's fists clenched tightly as he imagined all the horrible things he would do to Mustang if anything happened to his little brother. They had a lot more to lose this time.

Ed just hoped the bastard had a plan.


End file.
